20 Refreshing White Living Room Designs

From colorful additions to clever design tricks, see how these white living rooms are anything but monotone.

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January 28, 2021

By: Kamron Sanders

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Photo By: Pinnacle Estate Properties, a member of Luxury Portfolio International

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Add Warmth With Wood

One thing a white living room risks lacking is warmth. While light, bright and airy is all the rage, a warm element, in the form of furniture or other decor, can be just what the space needs to feel balanced. In this modern Cape Cod style home in Malibu, massive stacks of chopped wood flanking the fireplace offer natural warmth and perfectly tie in with the wooden captain’s chairs.

From: Pinnacle Estate Properties and Luxury Portfolio International®

Contrast With Color

This stunning living room could be a part of a suite in an exciting modern art museum, with its striking combination of colors and artwork. The contrast of the vibrant furniture and decor against the stark white walls and ceiling makes for a visual impact that is as unique as it is gorgeous.

From: Erica Bryen Design

Pair Light With Dark

White paint and dark wood make for a lovely pairing. In this luxurious living room, slivers of dark hardwood sweeping around the area rug stand out against the white walls, marble fireplace and neutral furniture. The dark, contrasting elements are continued in the panes of the arched French doors, the hardy wooden beam and built-in shelving unit.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Paint Your Brick Fireplace

Designers wanted to keep this living room space feeling fresh, clean and bright, so they whitewashed the brick around the fireplace, mounted white shiplap on the walls and installed lightly stained, wide plank hardwood flooring. To add a rustic touch to the design, a reclaimed mantel was chosen as the cherry on top.

The Dos and Don'ts of Painting a Brick Fireplace

From: Lexi Grace Design

Be Intentional in Your Design

From the deliberately scarcely styled built-in shelves to the low, minimalistic furniture choices, this room perfectly exemplifies the “less is more” mantra. Each decorative element makes a statement without taking center stage. Plus, the full wall of white cabinets allows unsightly items to be hidden behind sleek doors, maintaining the room’s clean, minimalist look.

See More Photos: 30 Mantel and Bookshelf Decorating Tips

From: Natalie Myers

Add Curves

Symmetry is the first word that comes to mind when viewing this living room, as the space looks as if its two sides are mirroring one another. Warm and earthy decorative elements are used to break up the white space, but the real design standout is the use of curved sofas to keep the space from feeling stiff.

From: THELIFESTYLEDCO

Keep Things Funky

Fun, vibrant furniture pieces make quite the statement in this modern, white living room. From unique pink chairs to bright artwork lining the walls, the white space is far from monotonous.

See More Photos: Personalize Your Space With a Gallery Wall

From: Jenn Feldman Designs

Freshen Up Your Farmhouse Design

This traditional white farmhouse living room has a few unexpected design tricks up its sleeve. While rustic beams and shiplapped walls are to be expected in a farmhouse setting, a more modern accent table and chair give the space a fresh twist.

See More Photos: 35 Farmhouse Living Room Designs

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Make a Statement With Art

A white wall is perfect for providing a clean, nondescript background for other pieces to pop against. Though this room is filled with design goodies, like the massive white contemporary sofa and creative coffee table, the eye is immediately drawn to the wide variety of artwork lining the stark white walls.

WATCH THE VIDEO: Thrifted Art

Open Things Up

Due to the folding steel doors in this expansive white living room, the space feels one with the adjacent room. Massive windows have a similar effect on the entire living area, allowing the room to feel one with the outdoors, too. As a result, the living room maintains an open, airy and inviting aesthetic.

From: Zoe Feldman Design

Play the Classics

Glossy black paint helps the ceiling beams and trim in this bright white living room to stand out boldly. The room is filled with black-and-white details that offer a classic look and feel in the well-appointed space. The timeless color palette allows the minimal inclusion of color to shine.

See More Photos: Top Living Room Color Palettes We're Loving Right Now

From: Martha O'Hara Interiors

Strike a Design Balance

Extravagant, large spaces tend to overwhelm the senses when cluttered with color and busy decoration. This space is a great example of how white can be used to let other details shine. Since the home’s design already features many pieces of architectural eye candy, the choice of white for the walls keeps the expansive space from feeling over the top.

From: First Team Estates

Make Your Accessories Work

This crisp white space is dotted with the perfect amount of cool grays and blues. The homeowners had this upright piano for some time, “but it was an orangey wood that needed an update." The solution: “We were able to find a piano refinisher who painted it a cool white with gray undertones that worked perfectly in the space.”

From: THREE SALT DESIGN Co.

Mix Your Whites

White doesn’t have to be stark. This Scandinavian-inspired living room shows how easily a soft off-white wall can pair with bright white trim, without appearing yellow. Impressive structural beams above tie-in with the exposed headers below, making the space feel as cozy as a Swiss chalet.

From: Urbanology Designs

Add Your Personality

Opaque sliding panels add a little privacy to the quaint sitting room off this beautiful bedroom. The white paneled walls reflect light all around the space’s moody furniture. From the bold blue sofa and gold coffee table, to the warm leather chair and boldly striped rug, the white space isn’t short on color or personality.

From: Breeze Giannasio

Paint the Canvas

The white walls in this modern living room act as the canvas for a space filled with contemporary art, from the mural above the stairs to the built-ins stacked with colorful collections. Dark hardwood floors are covered with a gray area rug and topped with muted, gray chairs and a striking white sectional. The modern fireplace is accented with bold blue artwork above the mantel.

From: Laura U Design Collective

Warm It Up

Rich, hand-hewn beams are the focal point in this white living room. The designer cleverly used rustic design elements throughout the space in the form of furniture, decorative pieces and flooring to create a cozy, down-to-earth vibe in the mostly white space.

From: Marie Flanigan Interiors

Highlight Details With Lighting

White and silver are a luxurious palette for this large, contemporary living room. A coffered ceiling with integrated recessed lighting allows light to evenly blanket the space, minimizing awkward shadow lines and highlighting the details. A touch of gray around the two arched openings is hardly noticeable, but makes for a cozy addition.

See More Photos: 20 Living Room Lighting Design Ideas

From: HW Interiors

Add Texture With Millwork

When sticking with white as your primary wall color, getting creative with millwork can be a great option to add a little pizzaz to your space. In this living room, a board and batten grid finished in solid white allows the depth and texture to pop as the light plays on the millwork’s surface.

From: Kirsten Holmstedt

Decorate Strategically

In this living space, designers incorporated an emerald green sectional that grounds the design and adds color and drama, without making the space feel too dark.

From: Jette Creative

20 Refreshing White Living Room Designs

Related To:

Shop This Look

Add Warmth With Wood

Contrast With Color

Pair Light With Dark

Paint Your Brick Fireplace

Be Intentional in Your Design

Add Curves

Keep Things Funky

Freshen Up Your Farmhouse Design

Make a Statement With Art

Open Things Up

Play the Classics

Strike a Design Balance

Make Your Accessories Work

Mix Your Whites

Add Your Personality

Paint the Canvas

Warm It Up

Highlight Details With Lighting

Add Texture With Millwork

Decorate Strategically

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